Spring wheel for vehicles



Sept. 2, 1930,- o, MUELLER Er'AL 1,774,941

SPRING WHEEL FOR VEHICLES Filed Aug. 2, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet l Inventors Attorney Sept. 2, 1930.

v o. MUELLER Er AL 1,774;94l

SPRING WHEEL FOR vmucms 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 2, 1929 A iibrney gzmaai iw. 4

Sept. 2, 1930. Q, MUELLER ET AL 1,774,941

' SPRING WHEEL FOR VEHICLES Filed Aug. 2, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Att ' Patented Sept. 2, 1930' mom a-Lam s mnx-imwivrmgror wi sr tnw xonx, new annsnx; Y v v V strai s-WHE L non vE icLEs er imaa i li d sti ma 39219 sa 396 This "invention relates to spring "wheels for 7 vehicles, r-a'ncl'ha s as'its primary object the "manufacture, highly eiiicient in use, durable provision of an improvedand simplified con nection between the hub andthe outer rim of" the wheel, said connectionbeing in the 7 form of radially disposed resilient spokes,

and 'i'n which thepartsof thespokes are so constructed and arranged asQtoaffOrd the wheel all the resiliency of a pneumatic tired wheel, and which will beat the same time comparatively simple and inexpensive to and practical in servicefand otherwise well adapted for the purpose designed. Y

to provide a spring Wheelin which the spring elements thereof are enclosed, within a casng and consequently prote t dif dust,v ,o rt, niudand the destructive-influence of the, '20 elements.- r p p game to a motor driven vehiclejthe rear end portion of the vehicle being shown fragmeneo'tarily. I w r Figure 2' is a top plan viewofthe wheel.-

Figure 3 is a detail view shown 1 fragmen- 1 tarily and partly in section-.andpartlyin ele vation'of thewheel. V v Figured 1s a fragmentary transversesecj tional view through the wheel, certain parts beingbroken away;

Figure 5-is a fragmentary detail iyiew.

; partly in sectionand -partly in elevation fully illustrating the initial steps in assembling h Wheels), 2 .7. I

" :Figure I 7 showing the position'ofthe resilient spokes when the assembly has been completed.

' v Figure? is a perspective-view of the plun ger and the. casing surrounding the plungerb Withreference more in detail to the drawings, and wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, it will be seen that the hub A still further object of the invention is- 6 is a" viewsiniilar to Figure 5,

sockets 6. The sockets 6 open inwardlyjfrorn the peripheral edge ofthe hub. The rir'n of the "wheel is designated by the reference char of the wheel is designated"generallybythe 7 reference character 5 and that this hub einf bodies a pluralityof radially ,disposedspaced acter"7, and the rim has its sideedges formed.

with upstandingfiangesfi for retaining in the usual well'known manner a cushion tire '9. The hub 5 is secured to the axle 10- inthe usual well known mannen and is *furtherl: "provided'with asuitableh'ub cap 11; Secured" to the inner face of the hub 5j' through the medium offbo'ltsor other suitableattachin-g members 12 is the 'usualbralreidruin I. In the contemplated formof the invention the rim '7 is provided on its'inner circumference *with' a' mummy; or frad ially disposed circ'u'Infe rentially spaced inwardly directed spondent to the number-of sockets 6 in the'hub- 5, a'rid when. the wheel-is completely'rasseim- I "bled, each lug 1e will bejdi'spo's'edg in radial alinement with its respective soc ket 6. "Fur-'- thermore, eachof the lugs 14L is suitably apertured for a purpose which will be herein- ;affter more'readi ly presented, i

shoulder 15'. Furthermore each ofthesockets 6 has itsfentrance end somewhat flared as q' Arranged within each of the .1 Sockets 6 is a coil spring l7, theiinner end of coil I spring being anchored within the bore as l at edges are apertured as at 22. The apertures 22am adapted "to register with the aperture:

in the lug 1 4;, said lug lfl'beingreceivable bet-ween the legs 21: and agp'ivot pi'n123 is It may be also well '0 1 entionfliere that v I each of the socliets dat -its inner endisbored to provide' adjacent its inner endan annular .18, ,Each' disc 19 has formed-on oneface thereof-a substantially U -shaped attaching. iinember2Q, which attaching member 20 com- 7 prises {a pair of upstanding spaced parallel] co-exten'sive legs 21, which legs at their outer passed through" thejregi-stering apertures as shown. 7

Depending frornthe opposite face ofeach of jthg discs 19 fis 7 an "elongated shank-like j l e 24. Plunger is adapted to "lugs-14. "Th lugs Mare inf numbencorre- 9 extend intothe socket 6 and concentrically through the spring 17. The spring 17 at its .outer end impinges" against the disc 19 for normally urging'the plunger 24 outwardly from its socket 6. An elongated open-ended cylindrical tubing'or casing 25 has one end thereofadapted to be received in the socket 6 as shown to advantage in Figures 5 and 6. said casing being disposed circumjacent and Q enclosing the plunger 24am having itsouter end secured in a removable manner about i the disc 19.

Obviously the casing 25 will completely enh 25 forcewhich may be applied to the tire 9, such as" when the vehicle is moving over bumps or the like will of course exert an inward I =pressure upon the rim 7 forcing the plungers 24 inwardlyagainst the'action of thesprings 'no' 17, and consequently carrying the casingsv 25 inwardly with this inward movement of the 'plungers 24, and theinner ends of the casings 25 will abut, the shoulders to limit the inc Ward; movement of the plunger, it being understood .of coursethat thestrikings of the "casings attheir inner ends against these J qlshoulders wi-llbe somewhatgradual due of course to'the action of the springs 17, thus eliminating any-shock or jarring of the vet hide under such conditions.

. Anotherffeatu're of the invention, is in providing the sockets 6 atltheir entrance end with-the flaredlopenings 16, together with the-pivotal connectionbetween the plunger 7 24 andthe rim 7 occasioned through the me dium ofthe lugs and the legs 21 in a manner before described, which'will not only permit reciprocatorymovement of the plunger 24 tbut relative movement of the rim with re- T spectito the hub inthemanner as suggested in Figure 5., i a q 1 From the foregoing then it is believed that a'cle'arunderstandingfof the construction, operation and advantages :'of 'a spring wheel 5f-of-this nature will be clear to those skilled in this art, a more lengthy description being deemed unnecessary. It will also be readily 1 -appreoiated thata spring wheel constructed in accordance :with this invention will be I 9- strong, durable, thoroughly reliable, practicalandefiicientin operation and fully capable [of affording that desired springiness and flexibility, obviating the need of pneumatic tiresfor obtainingeasy riding of the vehicle wasisgenerally' occasioned by pneumatic tires.

Thus the invention while affording the wheel all the resiliency of a pneumatic tired wheel, will obviate the deficiencies, such as the necessity of inflating the tires, the possibility of a puncture, and obviously reduce the upkeep of the machine and at the same time detracting in no way from the appearance of the vehicle. 1

Various changes in the construction and arrangement of the several parts herein shown and described, may beemployed without departing from the spirit of our invention as disclosed in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what wewish to claim is:

- 1. A spring wheel of the character described, comprising a hub provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced radially disposed sockets formed therein, each of said sockets having a counterbored portion providing an intermediate disposed shoulder and having its open end portion outwardly flared, a rim circumjacent the hub, circumferentially spaced radial lugs carried by said rim, a disc pivotally secured to each of said lugs, a plunger carried by each of said discs and adaptedvfor movement into and out of an adjacent socket, a coil spring seated against the bottom of and encircling the respective plunger and having its outer end impinging against the adjacent disc for normally urging the plunger outwardly of the socket, a casing mounted on each disc I and surrounding the plunger and the spring and having one end thereof slidably receivablein the socket and engageable with the shoulder, said casing adapted for lateral swinging movement when in its extended position with respect to the socket.

; 2. A spring wheel of the character described comprising a hub provided with a' plurality of circumferentially spaced radially disposed sockets formed therein, each of said sockets having an intermediately disposed shoulder provided therein, a rim circumjacent the hub, circumferentially spaced radial lugs carried by said rim, a headed plungerpivotally secured to each ofsaid lugs and adapted for movement into and out of an adjacent socket, a coil spring seated against the bottom of and encircling the respective plunger, and having its outer end impinging against the head of said plunger for normally urging the same outwardly of the socket, a casing carried by each headed plunger and surrounding the same and the spring and having one end thereof slidably receivable in the socket and engageable with the shoulder. I

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures. OSCAR MUELLER. MAX NEWMAN. 

